Green trains ++ New carbon calculations demonstrate that travelling by rail from London to Edinburgh creates only a tenth of the carbon emissions produced by car travel and 13 times less than by plane, according to the Rail Delivery Group. The new figures use detailed rail data including fuel type, journey distance, carriage layout and occupancy for the first time, to create an industry benchmark for carbon measurement. A rail industry initiative, Green Travel Pledge, will provide carbon calculations which are to be released to businesses in Britain by the end of the year. More trains ++ An option to purchase 11 more trains for the Docklands Light Railway has been taken up by Transport for London. This now means a total of 54 new trains will be introduced from 2024. The new units will be built by CAF, and have been funded by the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, in line with an agreement in 2019. The first two new trains from the original order, with a walk-through design, audio and visual real time travel information, air conditioning and mobile device charge points, have been delivered. They are being tested overnight outside traffic hours, and should enter service next year. North London closures ++ Major engineering work to upgrade the local ‘DC lines’ between London Euston and Watford Junction has been arranged for this summer. The tracks mostly run alongside the West Coast Main Line, and carry London Overground trains. Bakerloo Line trains also share the route with Overground services between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone. Various possessions have been arranged between 23 July and 25 August, and there will be some closures while p-way teams install 18,000 concrete sleepers, replace 48km of signal cables and upgrade the drains between Harlesden and Stonebridge Park. Six stations will be improved, and the work will include new platform surfaces and canopy maintenance. The traction supply will also be upgraded. Depot upgrade ++ A multi-million pound signalling control suite has been energised at Gosforth Tyne & Wear Metro depot, as preparations continue for introducing a new fleet. The suite will control movements of empty stock between the depot and the main line, and replaces an installation which dates from the 1980s. Staff in the new control suite have a panoramic view of the depot site, and computers allow controllers to signal trains with a few clicks of a mouse. 

The launch of a new train service in Birmingham has been delayed, because the stations will not be ready before 2024. The Camp Hill line, which will have three stations, had been intended to reopen to passengers this year. The project will cost £61 million. This is being paid mainly by the West Midlands Combined Authority, and there are also contributions from the Department for Transport and Birmingham City Council. The double track route between St Andrews Junction, east of New Street, and Kings Norton is open for freight traffic and diverted passenger trains, but its stations were closed ‘temporarily’ in 1941. The closures were confirmed as permanent in 1946. The West Midlands Rail Executive says: ‘Since then, the area’s population has grown. There’s also more commercial activity. This means more people are travelling. This has led to traffic congestion and long journey times.’ The three stations will be Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road in Stirchley, which are all being built by contractor VolkerFitzpatrick. An unstable wall near Pineapple Road has contributed to the delay, because it has to be rebuilt ‘brick by brick’. Other problems are the discovery of an unrecorded well near Highbury Hall in Kings Heath, and badgers at Moseley. As a protected species, their setts can only be moved at certain times of year. West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said the further delay was ‘disappointing’, but he pointed to ‘tangible progress’ at the stations, even though the complete project will now take ‘a little while longer’.

A new station will open between Ramsgate and Minster at the end of next month. Thanet Parkway has two 240m platforms suitable for 12-car trains, and will offer high speed services to London as well as trains to other places in Kent. The station, which opens on 31 July, will be equipped with ticket machines, lifts, CCTV, hearing loops, passenger help points, bike racks and 293 car park spaces, along with charging points. Acoustic barriers will help to absorb noise. Thanet Parkway is also a potential integrated transport hub. A new road provides a link to the station from the A299 Hengist Way. Cliffsend and Sevenscore level crossings have been upgraded at the same time. At Cliffsend the half barriers are being replaced with full barriers controlled from the East Kent Signalling Centre in Gillingham.  The station and level crossing works have been funded by the Department for Transport, the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Thanet District Council, East Kent Spatial Development Company and Kent County Council. The investment is part of Network Rail’s Thanet Corridor Enhancements Programme which includes upgrades to Dibleys, Ships Meadow and Grove Ferry crossings so that trains can run faster between Ashford, Canterbury West and Ramsgate. Network Rail’s Kent route director David Davidson said: ‘The opening of this station is testament to the collaborative working relationship between our partners, and Thanet Parkway will play a central role in helping boost the local economy and support tourism by providing connections to a wide range of leisure destinations. ‘I look forward to seeing the first passengers using Thanet Parkway and would like to thank the many colleagues involved who have worked so hard with our partners.’ Southeastern managing director Steve White added: ‘Working with our partners to enable the communities on our network to thrive is important to us, and Thanet Parkway will offer a live example of what can be achieved. All day high speed services to St Pancras and peak services to London Bridge, Cannon Street and Charing Cross will bring new opportunities to experience the area’s tourist attractions.’

The RMT has sounded a warning shot in response to growing speculation that the Department for Transport is preparing to announce the closure of most station ticket offices in England. If it happens, it could ignite a new industrial dispute on National Rail. The reform includes moving staff from the offices to concourses and platforms, where they can help passengers, but the RMT is bitterly opposed to the idea because it fears that many jobs could be lost. Closures are also being opposed on the grounds that less able people and the elderly in particular often rely on ticket offices to help them with their journeys. Because they are less likely to be users of smartphones or computers, some have no access to the internet. The change would come at a time when increasing numbers of smartcards are being introduced. The latest operator to announce a pilot scheme with cards is c2c, although it has not announced any ticket office closures. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘There are rumours circulating online that the DfT plans to announce mass ticket office closures next week. ‘The train operating companies and the government must understand that we will vigorously oppose any moves to close ticket offices. ‘We will not meekly sit by and allow thousands of jobs to be sacrificed or see disabled and vulnerable passengers left unable to use the railways as a result. ‘RMT will bring into effect the full industrial force of the union to stop any plans to close ticket offices, including on our upcoming strike days of July 20, 22 and 29 in the national rail dispute.’ Although the DfT has not yet commented officially on claims that an announcement is imminent, the Guardian reported that one government source was accusing Mick Lynch of ‘trying to scaremonger’, saying: ‘We’ve made no secret about the fact that the railways need to reform in order to survive, but this should be in a way that works for passengers.’ The Rail Delivery Group said the industry had been ‘open and honest about the need for the railway to evolve’, but up until now negotiations had been continuing to ‘go round in circles’ on reforms such as moving staff from ticket offices to other parts of stations. It continued: ‘While the industry is now looking at how to move forward, any changes would be subject to employee and public consultations. ‘Staff always remain front of mind so as you would expect from a responsible employer, if and when the time comes for proposals on ticket offices to be published, they will be the first to know.’ Any changes initiated by the DfT seem likely to affect only English stations. The nationalised domestic operators in Scotland and Wales manage most of the stations in those countries, and any reforms would be a matter for the devolved governments. Station ticket offices are increasingly uncommon in other countries. Dutch Railways relies on the Netherlands national ‘chip and pin’ smartcard, and only maintains inquiry offices at about eight of its largest stations. Even then, these offices feature work stations where passengers are encouraged to make travel enquiries on line for themselves. Nederlandse Spoorwegen began to discourage the use of its ticket offices before moving ahead with closures, by charging passengers a small fee if they bought tickets at a window rather than using a machine.

The Scottish Government assumed control of the Caledonian Express contract yesterday, after Transport Scotland had decided that an extension of Serco’s franchise would not offer value for money (writes Sim Harris). The formal changeover, if usual industry practice was followed, would have been at 02.00 on Sunday morning, when legal responsibilities would have been transferred. The nationalisation of another private sector operator was not particularly unusual. It is just under a month since FirstGroup’s National Rail Contract for Transpennine Express was transferred to a company owned by the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort. But the Sleeper changeover was slightly different. The last TPE franchise was effectively paused in March 2020 when the first Emergency Measures came into effect, and was officially abolished, along with all other English franchises, in September of the same year. Caledonian Sleeper was still technically a franchise, although it too had been paused in April 2020 and was being administered under an Emergency Measures Agreement with the Scottish Government. As such, it was the last of its kind, which meant the final train run by a franchised operator from London Euston departed at 23.45 on Friday night, bound for Edinburgh and Glasgow Central. The first franchised train, incidentally, was South West Trains’ departure from Twickenham to London Waterloo at 05.10 on 4 February 1996. (Great Western Trains should have been first, with its unadvertised 01.50 service from Fishguard Harbour. This, had it departed on time, would have moved seamlessly into the new era somewhere near the site of the former Jordanston Halt. In the event the train was replaced by a bus because of engineering work further down the line, and the bus was late.) Operators now fall into three categories. The first are owned by government, the second have National Rail Contracts, and the third have less specific Direct Awards, such as Avanti West Coast. This does not prevent the mainstream media referring from time to time to ‘franchises’. and even some operators (who should know better) still mention their ‘franchise area’. In theory, at least, the creation of Great British Railways should usher in new Passenger Service Contracts which, if the recommendations of Keith Williams in the 2021 Plan for Rail are followed, will be very similar to the low-risk concessions which already apply on operators like London Overground. LO is run by Arriva, but the contract with Transport for London is a tight one, and although Arriva is exposed to minimal commercial risk, it also has very little commercial freedom. What is still unclear is just what a Passenger Service Contract will involve. Privatisation enthusiasts, both within and outside the industry, want these contracts to be as loosely framed as possible, to allow the private sector to take a significant part. On the other hand, those in favour of public ownership opt for full-strength nationalisation. As things stand, the government is deeply engrossed in other problems –particularly how to win the next election – so GBR has been left on the platform waiting, you might say, for a train (or rail replacement bus) which has yet to turn up.

TransPennine Express is urging people not to travel on many of its core routes today, unless their journeys are essential. Fewer services than usual are expected to run between Liverpool/Manchester – Newcastle, Liverpool – Hull, Manchester Airport – Saltburn,    Manchester – Scarborough, York – Scarborough, Manchester – Huddersfield – Leeds and Newcastle – Edinburgh. TPE interim managing director Chris Jackson said: ‘We regret that we need to run a reduced number of services today which is due to operational issues, including a lack of available traincrew. ‘We have been clear so far that some of the challenges we have inherited include a significant backlog in driver training and only 50 per cent of drivers being currently equipped to drive the trains and routes in their roster. ‘From next week, rest day working will be reinstated at TPE which, while not removing all the issues that TPE is facing, will help us to increase driver training which in turn will contribute towards a more stable service for passengers. We are also working hard on operational plans to deliver a long-term improved service for our customers. We apologise again to all our passengers during this period.’

The RMT has called three more 24-hour strikes on most train operators in England, as the year-long dispute over pay and conditions continues. The new walkouts are to be staged on 20, 22 and 29 July, and are set to create major disruption once again. The drivers’ union ASLEF has already called an overtime ban from 3 to 8 July. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘This latest phase of action will show the country just how important railway staff are to the running of the rail industry. My team of negotiators and I are available 24/7 for talks with the train operating companies and government ministers. Yet quite incredibly neither party has made any attempt whatsoever to arrange any meetings or put forward a decent offer that can help us reach a negotiated solution. ‘The government continues to shackle the companies and will not allow them to put forward a package that can settle this dispute. Our members have now voted three times to take strike action over the last 12 months – the most of recent of which coincided with having the full details of the substandard offer from the rail operators. ’They voted by 9 to 1 to renew their strike mandate and RMT will continue its industrial campaign until we reach a negotiated settlement on pay, working conditions and job security.’ The Department for Transport said: ‘The RMT leadership’s decision to call strikes targeting two iconic international sporting events, as children and families begin their summer holidays, will disrupt people’s plans across the country. After a year of industrial action, passengers and rail workers alike are growing tired of union bosses playing politics with their lives. It’s high time the union leaders realised that strikes no longer have the impact they once did and are simply driving people away from the railway. ‘This Government has played its part by facilitating fair and reasonable pay offers that would see generous increases for rail workers. Union leaders should do the right thing and give their members a chance to vote on these pay offers.’

The last Scottish sleeper services operated by the private sector will run tonight. The Scottish Government has terminated the Serco Caledonian Sleeper franchise, which began in 2015. The services between the Highlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London will be controlled in future by a public sector company. On 5 October last year, Scottish transport secretary Jenny Gilruth had said: ‘Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited has been advised that its proposal to rebase the Franchise Agreement with Scottish Ministers for the provision of Caledonian Sleeper rail services has been rejected on the grounds of not representing value for money to the public. ‘A notice was served today which confirms that the Scottish Ministers will terminate the Franchise Agreement with Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited on 25 June 2023.’ In a farewell message, the managing director of Serco’s transport business John Whitehurst said: ‘We are immensely proud of everything that we have achieved since we were awarded the contract to run the Caledonian Sleeper in 2014. ‘During the eight years since Serco’s inaugural services departed, we have brought about massive improvements to every aspect of the service for our employees, our passengers and for Scotland, despite having made significant losses on the contract. ‘These improvements have been an extraordinary achievement by everyone involved in running the service and we are grateful to everyone for their hard work, and we wish them all good luck and a great future. We hand the Caledonian Sleeper over to the Scottish Government in great shape, secure in the knowledge that this is now a world class service that represents the best of Scotland.’

A new GWR station in the southern suburbs of Exeter will open on 4 July. Marsh Barton station has cost £16 million. The project was managed by Devon County Council in collaboration with GWR and Network Rail, and the station was built by civil engineers GRAHAM Group Ltd. The two-platform station, on the Great Western Main Line south of Exeter St Thomas, will provide new links to Alphington, Marsh Barton and the Riverside Valley Park. A new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the railway had already opened in April. The station will not be staffed, but it is equipped with ticket machines, departure screens, shelters and help points. Trains between Paignton and Exmouth will call once an hour, with two trains an hour at peak times. The first train at the new station will be the 05.34 from Exeter St Davids to Paignton, which is due to call at 05.38. Devon County Council cabinet member for climate change, environment and transpor  Andrea Davis said: ‘It’s excellent news that the station has passed all the necessary checks and that it can now open to passengers. The station will be a huge asset to this part of Exeter, providing convenient access to Marsh Barton trading estate as well as connecting with active links to access other areas of the city.’ GWR business development director Tom Pierpoint added: ‘New stations such as this are vital in bringing the railway closer to people as we become mindful of the need to live and travel more sustainably. Marsh Barton will help to ease congestion on some of Exeter’s busiest roads and offer a more environmentally friendly option for those who normally drive into the area. Marsh Barton is one of three GWR stations to open this year along with Portway Park & Ride in Bristol and Reading Green Park.’

Carbon cuts ++ The Railway Industry Association has warned that the rate of reducing railway carbon emissions is ‘lagging behind other transport modes by some distance’. RIA was reacting to the government’s response to a Commons Transport Committee report, in which the government says it only ‘partially agrees’ with the Committee’s call for a long-term decarbonisation plan. RIA technical director David Clarke said: ‘This isn’t just bad news for rail decarbonisation, it makes reaching Net Zero by 2050 less likely. All the government’s commitments need to be achieved if the UK is to reach Net Zero. A lack of progress in any one area jeopardizes the whole plan. In its response to the Committee’s report, the DfT says that the Great British Railways Transition Team will “bring forward costed options” for rail decarbonisation, something which we need to see as soon as possible. Alongside this, we need some flesh on the bone when it comes to the Integrated Rail Plan, including a response to the Committee’s report on the plan, which is currently eight months overdue.’ Interchange ++ Scottish transport minister Fiona Hyslop has opened the newly-modernised transport interchange at Motherwell. Ms Hyslop was joined by ScotRail chief operating officer Joanne Maguire, North Lanarkshire councillor Paul Kelly and SPT chief executive Valerie Davidson. The concourse has been enlarged, the forecourt improved and waiting areas upgraded. Links between trains and buses have also been made more effective. Charity ++ The Railway Benefit Fund is seeking a new chief executive to lead the charity through its next stage of growth and development. Current CEO Claire Houghton announced her retirement earlier this year. Claire’s departure provides an opportunity for a person with ‘vision, drive, and passion’, the charity said. The deadline for applications is 26 June.